5 Reasons to be Excited for Batman V Superman (And 3 Reasons to be Worried as Hell)

The year 2016 is going to be filled to the brim with comic book films; X-Men: Apocalypse,Deadpool, Captain America: Civil War – the list goes on, but one in particular heralds the sight of something not seen before…The DC Trinity on the big screen.

We have not seen Wonder Woman at all in a big blockbuster, which is pretty sacrilegious, and obviously we have seen Superman and Batman individually but seeing all three together is sure to be a real spectacle. Whether we will want to shield our eyes from this spectacle is still up for debate.

Regardless of quality, Batman v Superman is coming, so here are some things to look forward to as well as a couple to make you apprehensive. I refuse to add on Dawn of Justice because it’s an awful, unimaginative joke of a subtitle.

5. Henry Cavill’s Super, Man

First things first, the reboot of Superman in 2013, Man of Steel, has many issues. Regardless of your opinion of the film the issues are blatant and undeniable. The destruction, inconsistencies to character and story, and general lack of a soul left the film with its share of detractors and negativity.

However, somewhat appropriately, the one shining light to come out of Man of Steel is Superman himself, Henry Cavill. His portrayal of Superman is noble, charming, and strong; he is everything Superman should be.

Though we have not yet seen enough of alter ego Clark Kent to judge, in Cavill’s hands Superman at least has the moral centre nailed down. It will be very interesting to see how the character has developed since his first outing.

4. Making up for Past Mistakes

As mentioned, Man of Steel had some fundamental problems. The death of Jonathan Kent left many feeling empty. Clark’s frankly awful ‘attempt’ at hiding his powers (pretty much everyone in Smallville knows at this point) and the sheer destruction of Metropolis come to mind as the more major ones as well.

Thankfully Batman v Superman looks to rectify the latter problem, or if not rectify then at least demonstrate the repercussions.

From the trailers we can deduce that Superman is called before a tribunal to justify himself, and it also looks as though Batman’s animosity towards the blue Boy Scout stems from the Metropolis onslaught.

While it could certainly be argued that retroactively fixing Man of Steel is an act of weak writing, it at least indicates that Zack Snyder and co. are aware of these issues, and could bode well for the film.

3. A New Batman

Ben Affleck is now our Batman. The outcry at the announcement was deafening and the casting seemed more absurd than Batman’s shark-repellent Bat-spray, but with each new image or footage, Affleck has gradually batted away the initial cynicism.

He looks phenomenal from an aesthetic standpoint, with the chin fitting snugly in the mask and the rest of his face looking like Bruce Wayne incarnate. But can he portray the character well enough to totally quash the backlash? The short answer is… we don’t know yet.

The playboy persona he will have no problem with; it is the Bruce that only Alfred knows and the Batman that are still shrouded in doubt with a soupçon of worry.

Snyder is certainly taking the character in a new direction, on screen at least, as Batman is now aged and world-weary. Whether or not this will be enough to allow Affleck to stand out from other portrayals remains to be seen but it is undoubtedly enticing.

2. Fingers Crossed for the Script

Forgive me for beating a dead Kryptonian War Kite, but Man of Steel had some serious script issues. A strong cast with good performances and some excellent visuals could not disguise the inconsistencies, miss-steps and general laziness of the story.

Now, David S Goyer can write a good script. He worked on the three Batman films helmed by Christopher Nolan, but he also wrote Blade Trinity. One reason the Batman scripts are so much better are no doubt because Jonathan Nolan had a hand in them.

The good news is that Batman v Superman follows a similar route. The script has been written by Goyer andArgo writer Chris Terrio. As in Argo the 2013 Oscar Winner for best adapted screenplay.

Add this to the fact that the trailer shows some pretty solid wordplay between the leads, as well as some much-needed doses of humour, and you should be super excited to see how it all plays out.

Yes, that was some obvious Superman word play and no I do not apologise.

1. The Trinity

This is the big one. Not only are we going to get to see Batman take on Superman for the first time, but we are also going to get to see the first big screen appearance of Wonder Woman.

Gal Gadot is playing the warrior-princess of Themyscira, and whether or not the relative unknown will succeed or not, it is certainly exciting to see the biggest female comic book superhero’s début. It has been a long time coming.

Continue reading on page 2 to find out my reasons we should all be worried…

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